A queen in her crushed castle
by Thaliel
Summary: WARNING! death of several characters incoming, only read if you are comfortbale with that Some people are just like buildings, they need to be demolished so they can be build back up all new, Chloé is such a person
1. Chapter 1

**As usual, I do not own anything**

A queen in her crushed castle

I

"There you are Sabrina", Chloé complained when meeting her friend on the hotel lobby, "You kept me waiting like forever."

The ginger gave her an aplogetic look. "Sorry, I-" "Yeah whatever", Chloé cut her off, "Now let's get up to my room, so you can finally tell me which of my new summer dresses I will wear on which day of the week".

The two girls were just on their way up in the elevator when they heard what must have been people shouting. "Ugh, those noisy tourists!", Chloé groaned. But her theory of the cause for the noise being tourists was debunked as soon as the first gunshot could be heard. "Did someone just shoot?", Sabrina wondered. As the two departed from the elevator, they could hear several more shots, though not as clearly as before, since they were now too far up from the lobby.

"Seriously, they play paintball in our hotel now?", Chloé mused, "Daddy would never allow this".

"Those shots sound like the real thing.", Sabrina corrected her friend, "My ad is a policeman, so I know what a gun sounds like. I don't know what is going on, but it is apperently dangerous"

Chloé did not really appear to take her seriously, but another shot sounding from downstairs finally had her enter the safety of her room. "You coming in or not?", She asked the ginger girl.

Sabrina appeared to be in thought for a moment. "With a background like mine, I cannot just sit by while other people are in danger.", She finally replied, "I'll call my dad on the way downstairs, just lock your door and don't let anyone in."

"Whatever Sabrina, just don't get in the way when Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive", Chloé said and locked her door behind herself.

For just a second, Sabrina had expected the blonde to try and have her stay safe with her, but the realization that something like this was nothing like the Chloé she knew quickly corrected her.

The sight that greeted her as soon as the elevator door opened to reveal the lobby was hectic, messy, and brutal: A handful of men dressed in military-like gear were shouting something Sabrina could not understand and pointing their immense guns at a few members of hotel staff. She could also see some peoples' bodies on the floor, but dared not to investigate further. She was already lucky enough that her exiting the elevator had not yet drawn the attackers' attention to her.

'If I had known this, I could have told dad to bring a swat team along', she thought to herself. She also hoped that Ladybug and Chat Noir would get to the scene soon. Their suits were bulletproof, weren't they?

Sabrina was too caught up in the thought if and how Paris' heroes could deal with opponents like these she did not immediately realize that there was the barrel of a gun directly pointing at her.

She should have moved, hid herself, try something to evade the projectile that was about to be fired at her, but her body simply refused functioning. She just stood there, as stiff as a statue, staring directly in the eyes of the attacker who had his gun pointed at her. Those eyes clearly showed no more trace of common sense...or mercy.

As the shot sounded and the projectile darted at her, all Sabrina could think of was how broken her father would be, and how she hoped Chloé had not turned on the feed of the surveillance cameras.

 **A/N: I am sorry for what I am about to do to poor Sabrina- and others. It just...needs to happen, please forgive me**


	2. Chapter 2

**I still don't own anything**

II

Adrien was the first to notice something going on at the hotel. Even though he did not clearly hear the gunshots, the overall buzz next door had quickly become unignorable. He looked out of his window, but did not really see what was going on in the lobby. But whatever it was, it was surely not good.

"Somethings up over there.", he said to the kwami that floated next to him.

"Aw man, I was just about to open a fresh box of Camembert.", Plagg groaned.

"You can stuff yourself with more cheese later.", Adrien said, "Plagg, claws out!"

Within a second, Chat Noir leaped across to the Hotel roof and then swung himself down to the ground with the help of his staff. Carefully peeking inside through the glass door, he could now see the attackers firing their guns at basically anything and anyone that moved. He would have to use his best stealth skills in order not to get noticed...or worse. The first police sirens could be heard at the end of the street as he started to silently slip into the hotel lobby.

It had become a custom to Marinette to turn the news station on as soon as she got home from school. She would also have the ladyblog open in her browser, so she could notice an akuma or anything else that would require Ladybug's help as soon as possible. She was just doing her homework when a breaking news broadcast started showing on the TV screen.

"This just came in.", the reporter spoke, "It appears the Grand Paris Hotel is under attack. Witnesses report to be hearing gunshots from inside the building. The police is starting to arrive at the scene as we speak."

"Doesn't really sound like your average akuma.", Marinette said.

"Yes, you better be careful Marinette.", Tikki reminded her.

"Got it.", Marinette assured her kwami, "Tikki, spots on!"

As soon as the transformation was complete, she exited through the hatch above her bed and swung herself towards the hotel with the help of her yo-yo.

"Ladybug!", a police officer greeted her, "I think Chat Noir is already inside. We are currently waiting for more available officers and the swat team."

"Me and Chat will do our best to resolve this as quickly and unproblematic as possible.", she replied.

Just as she was about to enter the lobby, she received a call from chat on her communicator.

"Hey kitty,", she greeted him, "mind if I join you inside?"

"Any time mylady.", Chat responded, "But make sure you're not seen upon entering. I was lucky enough to find a place to hide so I could call you. These guys are seriously mad."

"We can handle mad. I'll be with you shortly", Ladybug answered and ended the call.

Unlike her partner, Ladybug decided to enter the hotel from the back through the kitchen door. She opened the singing doors just enough to peek through into the lobby. A flash of black appeared in her peripheral vision, and Chat quickly slipped in.

"I'd fight an akuma everyday, but this is sheer madness out there.", he said.

Ladybug nodded. "It is still our duty to protect this city, let's go!"

For people as heavily armed and out of their right minds as these, the attackers were surprisingly easy to handle with. Ladybug's lucky charm and Chat's cataclysm were an efficient counter to the weapons the attackers were holding. As soon as the police swat team entered the lobby, they were greeted by the attackers neatly arranged in a pile and disarmed.

"Thank you Ladybug and Chat Noir", one of the swat team members addressed them and then looked around. The two heroes had been so focused on the fight they hadn't really noticed the bodies layoung around.

"Dear goodness!", Ladybug exclaimed as she realized how many victims this attack had, "If we had just come here sooner."

"You came as fast as you could.", another police officer told her, then suddenly froze in his step. "Is this...", he was looking closely at one of the bodies and the shock was clearly visible in his expression, "God, it is the mayor!"

Neither Ladybug nor Char dared to speak or move at his point. An experience like this was a lot to take in, even for superheroes like them. It was then that officer Roger finally arrived at the scene. He greeted the swat team leader, but was immediately approached by one of his fellow officers.

"Uhm, sir...",, he began,"You might not want to see...". The officer was having immense problems finding words.

"See what?", Roger asked, "I am already feeling bad for being unable to come here directly after receiving my daughter's message. ...Where is she, by the way?"

The officer's head sank deep onto his shoulders. "I am so sorry sir.", he said and slowly moved his head to point at where a seemingky young body was located. Roger was still not really able to understand what he meant, or maybe not willing. He went over to where his colleague had pointed, and immediately fall to his knees as he saw that this was no other than his only child.

 **A/N: Yepp, the mayor, too. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry**


	3. Chapter 3

**As usual, I do not own anything**

III

All but one of the security cameras were not showing any footage at all. And the one that did work only showed Ladybug and Chat Noir standing in the messy lobby. Chloé had just turned the feeds on, but found the limited information provided by it not to be very helpful. The noise had stopped, and since the two teenage heroes were no longer in action, Chloé concluded that whatever situation had been going on downstairs had been resolved by them. Still being Ladybug's number 1 fan, she decided to use the new opportunity to once again get close to the heroine she so admired.

Ladybug was glad when she found Chat's clawed hand to hold. And when she looked at her partner, she could see in his eyes the same deep shock and sadness that she felt herself. Never before had they been involved in something as tragic as this, with so many casualties. And not just regular casualties, which would have been tragic enough, but some of the victims were people the two of them had known: Mayor Bourgeois, who had so often needed the heroes' help but had also honored their bravery on so many occasions. And of course poor Sabrina, even though nobody in the hotel lobby knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir were her classmates.

"The counselor will arrive soon, in case either of you would like to talk about this.", one of the police officers approached the heroes.

"Maybe,", Ladybug began, her voice sill slightly quivering, "I don't know yet. It's..."

She stopped mid-sentence when her gaze traveled to the opening elevator door, which revealed no other then Chloé.

From where she stood, she was directly able to spot anyone who had fallen victim to the attack. Everyone's attention had been drawn to her the moment she had entered the lobby, and so the change in her expression did not go unnoticed. She started spurting directly to where her father was just being taken care of by the coroner.

""Wait," she was stopped by ladybug's hand grabbing arm, "you better not see this up close."

"but, ...Daddy, ...I, ...he's...", Chloé stammered.

"Ladybug's right you know.", someone behind her unexpectedly spoke. She turned around to face officer Roger, whose swollen red eyes clearly showed that he had been crying up until a few seconds ago. He put his hand on Chloé's shoulder and said: "I lost a part of family too, and I agree that this is not a sight someone your age should see."

Chloé was slightly confused by his words, who could...wait! The realization hit her like a wrecking ball: Sabrina. She peeked behind roger only to spot the familiar pattern of her friend's blazer. Couldn't this simply be a very bad ream? Why couldn't she just wake up to find the two only persons to ever get close to her still being alive and well? Her legs gave in and she just slumped to the floor.

Both ladybug and Chat Noir wanted to say something, anything, to the blonde girl, but found themselves held back from doing so by the beeping of their Miraculouses.

A slim, gray-haired man approached them. "Hello, I am Monsieur Chevalier, the counselor.", he introduced himself.

"Thank you for coming, "Ladybug replied, "but me and Chat have to leave now. Also, I think Chloé needs your help more than we do, as well as officer Roger."

"Of course.", Chevalier nodded, "I will make sure both receivet he support they need. And if you still feel the need to speak to later, just come see me at my office."

He handed both heroes his business card with the address and phone number of his office and then went over to Chloé, who was still on the floor and neither moving nor making any sound. He bent down and carefully extended his arm to touch heron the shoulder. When Chloé looked up to him, he introduced himself again and expressed his condolences, then finally asked: "Should we go outside to talk, mademoiselle? I personally think the conversation we are about to have is better not held at a place where such tragic events took place."

"Mh.", was all he got as a response from Chloé when she took the arm he offered to help her stand up and led her outside.

 **A/N: This was hard. If you haven't noticed: I am not good with people's feelings. Even if it's only fictional people**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I still do not own anything. Sorry for the wait, I've been on holiday.**

IV

Someone had offered Chloé to sit down in one of the team vans. She had just silently taken the seat and not responded to anyone since then. Time and life just passed why while she herself felt like standing completely still.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long, Mademoiselle.", she noticed the counselor returning from inside, where he had most likely been talking to officer Roger.

"Mh.", was all she managed as a response.

"Would it be okay if we went to the station together?", Chevalier asked her, "My office is directly next to it and you'll need to give your evidence anyways. Or would you like to wait a bit?"

"Why wait?", Chloé asked, "We can do it now...Not that I saw much anyways."

The counselor nodded and asked for the two of them to be taken to the station.

Even though it was the workplace of her friend's father, Chloé had never been in the station before. She sat in what resembled a conference room, with a cup of water Chevalier had given her and she had silently accepted.

When the officer tasked with her questioning came in, he asked: "Shall Monsieur Chevalier remain with us?"

Chloé just shrugged her shoulders. "I guess he can", she said. His presence did not make any difference to her. She said whatever she needed to say and then was left alone with the counselor again.

"Thank you Mademoiselle.", Chevalier said,"Please follow me to my office. It is a more convenient environment."

Chloé followed him just like he had asked, still as silent as she had been ever since she had left the hotel. She got in to the room the counselor spoke to his clients in, and slumped down in the big chair.

"By the way,", Chevalier began, "shall I keep calling you mademoiselle or is it alright if I say Chloé?"

"Chloé is fine.", the blonde responded.

"As you wish", Chevalier replied. He then began the actual conversation by saying: "Now this might sound like an odd Question, but how do you feel?"

Chloé did not really know how to respond to this at first. "I feel...empty.", she finally said.

As the counselor inquired what exactly she meant by that, she told him how there was currently no emotion or thought or other sensation she would notice.

"I just want to assure you once again that you can have my support as long and as often as you need.", Chevalier said.

"Ok.", Chloé replied.

"Your grandparents have been informed and will be arriving tomorrow.", the counselor continued, "Do you feel like returning to the hotel until then?"

Something inside Chloé stirred. How could she return to the place where her father and friend had been killed so mercilessly? She took out her phone and opened her contacts.

"actually", she said, "I would rather stay somewhere else."

Chevalier nodded and responded: "If there is someone who will take you in, please go ahead and call them"

Adrien immediately picked up when his phone rang and he saw Chloé's number on the display. He had just randomly been browsing through the Ladyblog and various news websites ever since he had returned from the hotel.

"Uh hey Chloé," he spoke into the phone, "Are you alright?" The moment he had said the words, he already mentally slapped himself. Of course she wasn't alright, you idiot!

"I can't go back home today, could I stay in your guest room?", the blonde asked.

"Sure,", Adrien replied, "Where are you?"

"The police station.", Chloé replied.

"Got it. I'll have the gorilla pick you up there.", Adrien said . He waited for any further words from his classmate, but when there was only a minute of silence, he checked the display and saw that Chloé had already ended the call. No trying to get his attention, none of the usual nicknames like "Adri-cherie", the way the blonde girl had spoken was totally unlike her.

"So blondie's coming over ?", the black cat Kwami that floated next to the teen's head asked.

"Yes she is.", Adrien replied, "And she is currently not in a good condition. I'll try to be the best friend I can be for her, so just keep your whiskers out of it, okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I got it, it's none of my business.", Plagg responded.

Adrien then went to the entrance of the mansion to inform Nathalie that she shall send the gorilla to the police station and have one of the maids prepare the guest room.

Adrien sat on the staris while waiting for Chloé to arrive. As she finally appeared in the door, he immediately went over to her.

"Hey,", he said, "The guest room is ready. Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, I just want to be alone right now.", Chloé replied and went to the room that had been prepared for her.

Adrien helplessly looked at Nathalie. "What am I supposed to do now?", he asked his father's assistant.

"I am not n expert on such things,", Nathalie answered, "But if she wants to be left alone, it is best to do so."

Adrien wasn't entirely happy about this, but he could understand the argumentaion. Thankfulle, the guest room was directly oppsite of his own room, so he could still get to Chloé in case he needed to. For now, he decided to return to finishing his homework so he could hopefully get some sleep soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**As usual, I do not own anything**

V

From the Moment news of the attack and its victims had gotten to the public, Chloé's phone hadn't stood still. Everyone in the class, various members of her family, and people she had met maybe just once in her life had sent her texts or tried to call. She couldn't deal with it, she just couldn't, at least not now. She had turned her phone off completely for the night, even though she still could get any actual rest. Every time she closed her eyes, images she had actually seen back in the lobby mixed in with what her imagination thought her father and friend has looked like: gaping holes in foreheads and pools of blood. Chloé didn't even know whether she she wanted to scream or throw up. Instead, she had resorted to gazing out into the stillness that was night in Paris. She actually wouldn't mind if the next would never come, if the world just stopped spinning.

Adrien had almost been ready for sleep when his phone alerted him of an email on his Chat Noir account. Getting email addresses to be able to communicate even when not transformed had been a clever idea, actually. But it had been Ladybug's idea, anything that came from her way clever, at least according to Adrien. He quickly seated himself in front of his computer screens to read what Ladybug might be wanting from her partner at such a late time.

"From: Ladybug

to: theoneandpawnlychatnoir (oh Adrien had snickered so much when he had chosen his username)

Hey kitty,

sorry to disturb you this late, but I thought with all that has been going on, an extra round of patrolling would be good...and I can#t sleep either, bet it#s the same for you, so we could talk a bit if you like.

See you at the usual spot, Ladybug"

It always amazed Adrien how Ladybug was able to read his mind. Roaming through the night and talking about the events of the previous day sounded just like what he needed. He quickly transformed, even though Plagg complained about being needed so late at night and demanded the most expensive, smelliest Camembert available as compensation.

Thankfully, the city was quiet, so the two heroes could just enjoy their night out instead of having to stop random burglars, shoplifters, or other criminals. They had retreated to the small park that was home to the infamous Ladybug and Chat Noir sculpture.

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea to take up that offer Monsieur Chevalier made.", Ladybug said, "You know, just talk, to someone professional."

"Yeah, maybe.", Chat agreed.

Ladybug handed him the card she had received from the counselor.

"I noted down the address and number,", she said, "So you can have it, in case you want to talk to him"

Chat thanked her and stashed the card away in one of the zipper pockets his suit so conveniently provided. The two heroes bid their farewells, with an extra reminder to stay safe, and went their separate ways.

Was she imagining things now or had something black been moving around out there? Chloé opened the window a little to peek out and make sure she was in fact NOT finally going insane. And there was really something moving, or someone to be exact. No other than Chat Noir was swiftly closing the distance to the mansion, finally perching on to of a streetlight.

"Can't sleep either, huh?", he asked.

"Not one bit.", Chloé answered , "Too much going on in my head."

Chat started tapping his chin with a finger.

"Now what could we do about it I wonder"

"I don't really know, but...", Chloé replied and seemed to think for a moment, "...could you take me somewhere?"

"Now?", Chat asked, "Not that I mind, but it's the middle of the night."

Chloé looked at him with a pleading look, something Adrien was sure he had never seen on her before.

"Please,", she inquired, "it won't be long, I just need to ...visit someone."

Adrien couldn't really recall anyone close to Chloé who would be awake at this hour. But if this would help her get over the flood of emotions she must be feeling currently, he would go anywhere and do whatever he could, in and out of his superhero costume.

"So where are we going?", he asked the blonde

"The graveyard on Rue Vaillant.", Chloé simply said.

Something in the back of Adrien's mind clicked. There was only one person Chloé could be wanting to see at that place. Well actually not a person of course. But her grave.

Chat leapt through the now completely open window, mindful of the security cameras not catching sight of him, and put his arm around the blonde.

"Welcome to Chat Noir travels. Please remain seated while the cat is moving, and keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside."

Chloé didn't react to his playfulness and just allowed the hero to sweep her out of the window and out into the night.

The graveyard wasn't far, and Chat dropped Chloé off safely in front of the marble angel statue that towered over a grave beautifully decorated with peonies.

"I'll let you have some privacy,", Chat said, "but I'll be close by to make sure nobody sneaks up on you. Just let me know when you're ready to go back."

"Thanks.", Chloé calmly replied.

She approached the grave, which was lightly illuminated by one of the lampposts her father had allowed to be added a fey years ago. On a brass plate directly under the angel statue's feet, she read the name she only knew from tales she had been told as a child:

Marianne Bourgeois

"Hello maman.", Chloé spoke to the grave.

Adrien had climbed up a nearby tree, where Chloé couldn't see him but where he was still close enough to hear what she said and jump into action if needed. He remembered how, when they were both much younger, Chloé had told him about her maman being "in heaven". Several years later, he had once asked about the actual story and learned that Marianne had passed away due to complications during childbirth. He had been sad for Chloé, who never got to know her mother, but at the same, he envied her a little. 'At least Chloé knows where her mother is.', he thought to himself.

 **A/N: Whoops, that took longer than expected. Also, moe feels...yay?**


	6. Chapter 6

**As usual, I do not own anything**

VI

"Maman,", Chloé spoke again towards the statue, "is daddy with you no2? ...And Sabrina, too?"

"Could you...", she had to swallow down the heavy lump in her throat, "Could you look out for them, Maman?" Tears began dwelling up in her eyes.

"And please,", she continued, "if Sabrina does find you, tell her I'm sorry." The last few words were more of a whisper, since Chloé feared that if she spoke louder, she would indeed start crying.

Seeing his friend like this almost broke Adrien's heart. He wished he could just jump out of the tree he was hiding in and give Chloé a big warm hug, let her cry on his shoulder if she wanted, but he knew he couldn't do that now, not while he was still transformed. She would probably not want it, anyway. But he made a mental note to himself to offer his support once more when he'd check up on her in the morning before going to school.

"Maman, I think I messed things up.", Chloé continued speaking. "Maybe I haven't been the person you and Daddy wanted. Please Maman, if you can, give me some strength. I really need it."

The blonde stood silent in front of the grave for a bit longer, then turned around and asked the cool night air around her: "Chat Noir? We can go back now."

Adrien immediately responded and gracefully landed in front of her. He wanted to say something to her, but he could not think of anything that would help in this kind of situation. He wasn't good with his, at least not while he was his superhero self. Ladybug had a better way with such matters.

Chloé simply grabbed onto him as she had before, and the two quickly returned to from where they had started. After climbing out of the window, Chat remained there for another moment, looking back at Chloé.

"Thank you.", she said.

He noticed a single tear slowly rolling down her cheek, and lifted his hand to wipe it away, careful not to damage the blonde's skin with his sharp claws.

"Things will get better Chloé, I promise.", he told her. It might be a lie, though. He knew from personal experience that the pain only subsided, but never completely disappeared.

"Really?", Chloé asked, "I cannot see how."

He could not find an accurate reply to this. Instead, he merely said: "If I can be of assistance to you again, do not hesitate to call for me."

"Okay.", Chloé replied and then finally closed the window as well as the curtains.

Even though the late night visit to the graveyard had exhausted him bot physically and mentally, Adrien still hadn't slept that well. But life never waited, so he had no choice but to succumb to his daily routine. After showering and getting dressed, he directly knocked on the guest room's door. When he didn't receive any reaction from inside, he asked: "Chloé?"

There was an awfully long moment of silence until he finally heard: "Yes?"

"It's time for breakfast,", he told the girl on the other side of the door, "will you come down and join me or shall a maid bring something for you?"

"I'm not hungry.", came the voice from inside.

As he was about to come up with arguments about how not eating was not a good idea, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Nathalie standing next to him.

"Is she not feeling up for eating?", she asked.

Adrien shook his head, but added: "She should eat, though. It's not healthy to starve."

"Missing out on one or two meals is not enough to starve, Adrien.", Nathalie replied, "She will surely become hungry sooner or later, and then she will have something served to her."

Nathalie then directed herself towards the door and said: "Your grandparents called and said they will be here around noon, please be ready to meet with them by then."

Again, only silence came from the room.

"I don't know what to do Nathalie,", Adrien said, "I want to be there for her, but she won#t let me."

Nathalie started to guide him away from the door and down to the dining room.

"Give her time.", she told the boy, "Once she feels ready to accept your support, she will surely let you know."

"I just feel like I'm not being enough of a friend to her.", Adrien said while sitting down at the table and starting his breakfast.

"You are being a very good friend, Adrien,", Nathalie told him, "Please just be patient."

But patience was something Adrien in fact had been having issued with for a while now. Ever since he had first met Plagg, in fact. Maybe it was the Kwami's personality mixing in with his own, he mused.

Usually, the class had been very lively before lessons started. Everyone would be chatting, greeting the others or finishing off homework last minute. But today was different. Almost all of the class members- except for Marinette, who seemed to be late once again- was sitting at their desks silently when Adrien entered the classroom. Some were staring the two empty seats in the first row where Chloé and Sabrina had sat up until the day before.

It was Nino who finally broke the silence.

"hey bro, heard Chloé's staying at your place. Is she giving you a hard time? Cuz to be honest, you look like a wet cat."

Adrien blinked at the comparison. "No," he said, "...not like that, at least."

"So she's not almost crawling up your skin and planning your wedding and stuff?", Nino asked.

"I somehow wish she was.", Adrien replied, "Instead, she hides away in the guest room and doesn't talk much. She's being really depressed I think, she even cried last night, I s...heard it (almost gave yourself away, Agreste, pay more attention!)."

"Please forward my condolences to Mademoiselle Bourgeois.", a voice in front if him suddenly spoke. He looked up and faced Madame Bustier, who must have come in while he had been lost in thought. They were again being disturbed by the classroom door flying open to reveal a heavily panting Marinette.

"Sorry I'm late!", she exclaimed and immediately rushed to her seat.

"I'll let her know what you just said Madame.", Adrien then continued. "I just don't think her mind can convey it right now. Really, she's so out of her usual self, I am honestly worried about her."

"You really care about everyone, it's so sweet of you.", he heard Rose's squeaky voice behind him.

"Yeah bro,", Nina agreed, "it's great you wanna have her back. Chloé's not the best person, we all agree on that, but she clearly doesn't deserve to be suffering the way she is now."

"Absolutely.", Madame Bustier added, "maybe it would be a good idea if the class as a whole came up with something to show Chloé we do care?"

All the class members voiced their agreement on this.

"As class representative, what do you suggest we do Marinette?", Bustier asked the pig-tailed girl.

Marinette Unknowingly blinked, "What?"

"I'm sure you can come up with something Marinette.", Adrien encouraged her, "I cannot do this all on my own. Please help out"

The look Adrien gave her was impossible for Marinette to resist.

"I love you!", she exclaimed, and immediately corrected herself, "I mean, I'd love to."

 **A/N: A classic Marinette at the end there XD. And we're almost done with the feels, I promise. Just bear with my twisted mind a littel bit longer please**


	7. Chapter 7

**As usual, I do not own anything**

VII

The last time Chloé had seen her grandparents was already several years ago. But neither of them had visually changed very much. Maybe just a few more wrinkles from the stress that came with running a holiday resort at Côte d'azure. But personality wise, they hadn't changed at all. Grandma Florence seized any given opportunity to pull Chloé into a hug, whilst grandpa Gerard Gave encouraging words here and there. Both of these methods did not really succeed on Chloé, though. Of course, she appreciated them being there for her and taking care of everything she herself could not take care of, but no hugs or words could really make her feel better right now. After the three had exited the Agreste Mansion, Chloé was not very much approving of their plan of returning to the hotel to take care of everything from there.

"Could you take me somewhere else for a bit?", she had asked them and showed them the card with the address of Monsieur Chevalier's office.

Happy that she would at least accept the help of a professional, they had taken her to said office, where they shortly met with the counselor himself to let him know he should inform them as soon as the two would be finished talking.

"What would you like to speak about today?", Chevalier asked her as soon as they were alone in his office.

"I feel like I am the one to blame for what happened.", Chloé replied.

"And what makes you think that is the case?", the counselor asked, "You do not have any relations to the attackers, their motivation was in no way personal."

"I know but...", Chloé answered, "I have just begun thinking about this Karma thing and about the way I have been treating people, especially Sabrina. And now my mind keeps telling that maybe I just had it coming."

Chevalier bent forward to put his hand on hers and said: "While there is indeed some truth in the fact that how you behave has an influence on the way your life turns out, it would be wrong to associate this with a tragedy like this."

Ha leaned back in his chair and made a short pause, then continued: ""You just mentioned Sabrina, would you mind letting me know your view if the kind of she was and how you would describe the bond he two of you had?"

"I always thought she was my friend.", Chloé began, "But I am starting to think I might not have been a very good friend to her. I actually just took her presence for granted."

The counselor slowly nodded his head and said: "Thank you for sharing this insight. Now you see, I have been speaking with officer Roger earlier today. And he asked me to forward something to you."

He opened a drawer of his table and retrieved what could only be Sabrina's diary.

"I am not sure if I should read this", Chloé said while giving Chevalier a confused look.

"Officer Roger told me that he wants you to do so.", the counselor replied, "He said that he had a look at it and noticed how a lot of its contents is on you. It may be that your friend thought better of you than you expect."

Chloé took the diary and spoke: "Okay, but I would prefer to read it in private."

Chevalier agreed and suggested ending their session for the time being.

"I still cannot go back in there", Chloé said standing in front of the hotel entrance.

"If you want to stay at your friend's house, that is fine.", her grandmother replied, "But you really need to go to your closet in order to pick a dress you can wear for the memorial service.

Normally, picking clothes was fun. But picking clothes for your parent's funeral did not sound like fun at all. Chloé was not even sure if she owned anything black, it wasn't really her color.

Chloé looked up to the top floor where her suite was. The suite was not the problem, but the way there was. Having to pass through the lobby and getting on the elevator was something Chloé just couldn't bring herself to do. The only other entrance Would be the backdoor leading into the kitchen. And there, the kitchen staff, especially chef Césaire, would surely drop whatever they might have been doing and flock around her the moment they caught sight of her.

Chloé was still lost in though when she noticed something- or rather someone- red and black rush across the sky.

"Ladybug!", she shouted at the bypassing figure, who stopped her way across the rooftops and then landed in front of the blonde.

"Hey", Ladybug greeted her and then put a hand on Chloé#s shoulder, "I am sorry for your loss."

"I know.", Chloé replied and then gave the hero a pleading look: "You wouldn't happen to have some time on your hands?"

"Since all is pretty much quiet as of now, I do.", Ladybug answered.

"In that case,", Chloé began, "could you get me up to my suite? I'd like to avoid having to go through the lobby and stuff."

Ladybug thankfully agreed and latched her yo-yo to the railing of the suite's balcony.

"Hold on tight, we're going up.", the hero exclaimed before transporting the two of them to their destination.

"I won't be needing long.", Chloé said while she retrieved the spare key for the balcony door from where she had been hiding it and unlocked the door, "If you could just wait."

"It's fine.", Ladybug replied and sat down in one of the chairs on the balcony.

After a few minutes, Chloé returned with a sports bag full of what were supposedly clothes. But instead of asking to be taken back down right away, she sat down in the second chair and posed a rather unexpected question.

"How do you manage all this?"

 **A/N: well how does she? Find out next chapter I guess**


	8. Chapter 8

**As usual, I do not own anything**

VIII

"To be honest, I don't really know.". Ladybug said, "Ever since I became a superhero, I have seen way more than a normal girl my age can handle. I suppose it helps that I have such a supportive partner like Chat at my side. And there is my k- er, friend, who I can trust in as well." That was a close one, she had almost dropped the term Kwami. Even though Chloé wouldn't have known what a Kwami is, she couldn't risk to give away something this big to a civilian.

"So it all comes down to having really good friends huh?", Chloé wondered, "At least you actually appreciate the friends you have."

The bitterness in the blonde's voice was easily recognizable.

"It's never to late you know.", Ladybug told her, "Sabrina might be gone, but there are still others who care about you, like Adrien for example."

"And who else?", Chloé asked.

"You might be surprised if you just gave others a chance.", Ladybug answered.

"That's easy for you to say,", Chloé replied, "you're amazing and perfect and everyone loves you, me included. Any person in this city would want to be friends with you."

"Well it's not so much the number that matters.", Ladybug said, "even having just one friend can be enough if they are exactly what you need. Oh and just for the record, I am clearly not perfect."

Chloé seemed a bit surprised. "You're a hero, of course you're perfect. You always save everyone and do all this awesome fighting evil stuff."

"But beyond that, I am just a regular person.", Ladybug claimed.

"I bet you're amazing even when not a superhero.", Chloé said.

Ladybug almost giggled. If Chloé only knew that the girl she was just calling amazing was the very same girl who had been her favorite target of meanness for several consecutive school years. But of course, she couldn't tell Chloé that. Instead, she just said: "Oh you'd be surprised."

"If you say so.", Chloé replied and then asked Ladybug to take her back to the ground.

Down there, an elderly woman seemed to be already waiting for them.

"Oh there you are Chloé", She exclaimed, "I was looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry Grandma.", Chloé apologized.

"I'm only glad you're safe.", the woman replied and then directed herself to Ladybug. "Thank you so much for helping Chloé out.", she continued, "And I would like to add it is an honor to meet you in person, Ladybug. Your fame has already reached all the way across to our lovely corner of this country."

Ladybug was slightly embarrassed by so much affection, and she could not help but notice the look that Chloé gave her, that clearly said "See? I told you so."

Back home in her civilian self, Marinette let herself fall back onto her bed.

"Adrien was right.", she said, "We need to show Chloé that we do care for her. But I just can't come up with an idea on how we shall do that."

"Don't stress yourself out Marinette.", Tikki told her, "I am sure you will get an idea soon enough."

Marinette looked at her Kwami in utter despair and said: "Well if you have any idea, go ahead and spill, cause I'm totally lost here."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a suggestion for you either.", Tikki replied, "But how about you ask your parents, maybe they can help you."

As that really wasn't a bad idea, and since Marinette was still desperate, she got up and made her way to the living room, where she found her mother preparing dinner and her father setting the table.

"Maman, Papa, I need your advice."

Tom sat down with her at the table and Sabine joined them after making the sure the food on the stove wouldn't burn. "Of course dear, how can we help you?", she asked her daughter.

"Well you've surely heard about what happened at the hotel,", Marinette began, "and our class wants to show Chloé that we care for her. Now it's my task to come up with something, but my mind is like a black hole."

There was a moment of silence while her parents processed the information in their minds.

"All I can think of is to bake a cake for her.", her father finally said.

"Tom, I don't think a Cake would suffice.", Sabine added.

"But it's a start.", Marinette told them, "In fact, I might have just gotten an idea. But in order to go through with it, I'll need to one of the dreadful things I can imagine- I need to hold a normal conversation with Chloé"

That was something far easier when being Ladybug.

Her grandparents couldn't thank Adrien enough for letting Chloé stay at the mansion for another night. Gerard had complimented him about what an exceptionally good boy he was and Florence had even gone so far as to gently pat him on the head. Chloé had found this behavior rather silly and had retreated to her room as soon as she could. She went to the bedside table. Hadn't she left her sunglasses on there? She knew she had taken them off the previous day, but could not see them now. As she scoured the room for the sunglasses, she suddenly felt something under her foot and heard a "crack!". The sunglasses must have had fallen to the ground at some point. She picked them up, looking at the frame that was now almost split in half and the shattered glasses.

'Just my luck', she thought. But it didn't matter. She could very well live without such a simple accessory. Maybe she would get something else another day.

 **A/N: now what could she put in her hair instead, hm? You might get an idea where this is going now**


	9. Chapter 9

**As usual, I do not own anything**

IX

It wasn't very surprising that Sabrina had idolized her father. Most of her diary's content focused on what a great job he did at the police. Sabrina had even planned to become a police officer herself. But she never got the chance to pursue this career. It was a pity, Chloé thought. From what she knew about Sabrina, she thought that she would have been quite a good police officer. If only some armed maniacs hadn't destroyed this dream of hers. In her mind, Chloé hoped that these guys would receive the harshest punishment imaginable. The laws probably would result in much less than what she thought would be proper justice. On the other hand, even taking revenge would not bring anyone back from the dead, so it was useless anyways.

The really interesting part, at least for Chloé, was what Sabrina had written about her. She repeatedly read some lines that showed how much she actually enjoyed spending time with the blonde and how much she valued her as a person.

"People often think I merely hang around with Chloé because I never knew anything else.", she read, "But our friendship is more than coincidence and convenience to me. I really like Chloé. Over the years, I found that there is surely more to her character than what everybody can see."

How Sabrina could think that was rather puzzling to Chloé. Was she right? In fact, Chloé had never looked that deeply inside of herself to check if there was more than what she projected to the outside world. She kept on reading, haven gotten to the time after the Vanisher and Antibug incident.

"The fact that Chloé just gave me a new brooch- and one that looks exactly like the one I used to have- convinced me that there is kindness in her. She might have tried to hide it, but I definitely saw her smile after she gave me the brooch. She does value me as a friend. Even after the difficulties we had earlier, she is still loyal to me. And I know that brooch wasn't exactly cheap, since the collection it was part of had been released years ago. That is such a generous thing to do!"

Chloé remembered that though she hadn't really thought about the costs of the brooch. Sabrina needed it, and she could afford it, it did not appear as such a big deal to her. She put the diary aside and looked at the clock. Only one hour until the funeral. Sabrina's family had only planned a small ceremony at the cemetery, very much the contradiction to the massive memorial service that would be held for her father in a few days. Chloé did not look forward to either of these events. But whilst she clearly could not avoid her own father's memorial service, she was not obliged to attend Sabrina's funeral as well. But Chloé had the feeling that she owed this to her friend. Even though she could have just asked for either her grandparents to pick her up or asking Adrien if she could have the Gorilla take her in the limo, she had decided to walk to the cemetery instead. 'Might as well get some fresh air', she thought to herself.

Marinette watched the ceremony from a distance. It might not have been a problem if she had attended without an explicit invitation, but she had found it inappropriate. She patiently waited for the ceremony to be finished. All she wanted was to speak with officer Roger...and Chloé. Considering the gloomy atmosphere, both were conversations she did not look forward to very much. As the group got ready to leave, she carefully approached them. She addressed officer Roger (and his wife) first.

"I am very sorry for your loss.", Marinette said and received silent nods from both. "Officer Roger, if you do not mind, I would like a few minutes of your time.", she continued.

"Can it wait?", the man replied.

"Maybe I could come talk to you at your home later today?", Marinette asked, "It is a rather important issue."

"Yes that should do.", Roger answered.

Marinette then faced Chloé. 'now comes the really hard part', she thought. The blonde clearly didn't look happy. Whether that was because of the ceremony she had just attended or rather due to Marinette's presence, she could not tell.

"Uhm Chloé?". She carefully spoke

"What is it Marinette?", Chloé replied, her tone something between indifference and being annoyed.

"I would need to speak to you as well.", Marinette told her.

Chloé did not say anything right away, and instead headed towards the street. When she was almost at the gate, she turned around and looked at Marinette and said: "If you really need to, you might as well keep me company on the way."

The first steps the two of them walked went without any words. It was Chloé who finally broke the silence by asking: "Wasn't there something you wanted talk about?"

"Oh, right.", Marinette replied, "I need to ask you a few things about Sabrina."

"You might as well ask Roger right away.", Chloé told her, "I'm just recently realizing I didn't know her that well."

This didn't really make things easier for Marinette. She desperately wished she could be somewhere else right now. But that wasn't option, so she had to go through with her plan.

"Maybe you can still help me out a bit.", She finally said, "Would you know about some things that Sabrina liked specifically?"

Chloé found this question rather odd, but tried to remember if Sabrina had ever told her about any favorite things, or if her diary had mentioned it.

"I have to think about for a bit.", The blonde then finally said, "Why are you asking, anyway?"

 **A/N: Yes Marinette, why? What is your plan? Stay tuned for the answer**


	10. Chapter 10

**As usual, I do not own anything**

X

Only one more person to visit, and then Marinette could start telling her classmates what she would like them to do. She hoped that Monsieur Chevalier would play along with what she had planned. She already knew that Chloé would be coming to see him later today, so she just had let him in on her plan before that. She knocked on the door of his office and received a "Please come in" from the other side.

"Hello, how can I help you?", he asked.

"Pardon the intrusion,", Marinette replied, "but I came to see you because I need your cooperation. I'm the representative of Chloé's class."

"Ah yes.", the counselor said, "I think it was Marinette? Chloé mentioned you once. What is your request?"

"The class wants to show Chloé we still care about her, and I have already come up with something. But in order for everything to work out, I wanted to ask you if you could make her come to our classroom when she is with you later today.", Marinette explained.

"Are you planning a surprise?", Chevalier asked.

"Yes.", Marinette answered, "What I have in mind is a casual get-together where we celebrate Sabrina as a person. I hope to be having a lot of the things she liked best, like her favorite cake, favorite songs playing, and the such."

"What a lovely idea.", the counselor said.

"Thank you,", Marinette replied, "I wanted something that is not as gloomy as a funeral."

"I will gladly support your plan.", he assured her.

Marinette did not go back home from the counselor's office. Instead, she went to see Sabrina's parents. They had already been nice enough to answer some questions, but when she had asked to have a look at her computer to check the music library, they had requested to think about it first. Marinette was glad when she had received the news that it was okay for her to look into it. She made sure to copy the songs she found onto a cloud drive. Nino would be able to access it and create a playlist with ease. Plus, she wouldn't have trusted herself with a USB stick.

As soon as this was taken care of, she also made sure that everybody else knew what had to be done. She also checked the text she had gotten from Chloé again, just to make sure she had given her father the correct information about what kind of fake Sabrina had liked.

"Raspberry mascarpone, is that what you meant? And why are you asking?", the text read. And judging from the sweet smell that started to come up from the bakery, the cake was just about to finish baking.

Chloé had clung to her grandmothers hand all the way up to the hotel bar. She clearly was still not happy being in there, but she couldn't stay in the Agreste mansion forever, either. A least the bar was a place not directly connected to the horrible events that had removed Chloé's father and friend from her life. She sat silently sat on one of the bar stools, hardly drinking from the glass of water the bartender had given her. While her grandmother was arranging the food plans with chef Césaire, her grandfather was busy convincing the former receptionist to step in as director of the hotel. She paid no attention to either of these conversations. She just looked left and right. There was hardly anybody else at the bar at this moment. Only the stool to the very left side was occupied. And the man who occupied it was just leaving. Her gaze aimlessly wandered around, until it fell upon something laying on the floor close to the counter. She got closer and realized it was a wallet. It probably belonged to the man who had just left. Maybe, if she was quick enough, she could catch up to him and return the wallet. As her grandparents were still holding their conversations, they did not even notice her getting up and rushing down the stairs (that elevator would take too long), But the man was nowhere to be seen within the lobby. Chloé rushed out of the door and scanned the street. Finally, she spotted the shirt of the man she was looking for and dashed towards him. As soon as she was close enough for him to hear her, she shouted:

"Hey, Monsieur!"

Thankfully, he turned around and looked at her questioningly.

Chloé was out of breath. "You -huff- lost -huff- your -huff- wallet -huff!", she finally managed to tell him and handed him the wallet.

"Oh thank you so so much.", the man replied and smiled at her, "Such honesty is rare nowadays. Someone else might very well just have kept it."

"I have no need for it,", Chloé told him, "Also, I just experienced what it's like to loose something...someone important."

The man was still smiling at her and said: "Well I hope fate will treat you well in the future, I must take my leave now."

Chloé watched him turn around and continue walking down the street. After she could not see him anymore, she returned to the hotel. Her grandmother was already waiting for her in the lobby.

"Where did you disappear to all of a sudden?", she asked

"Just had to return a lost item to its owner.", Chloé replied, "Now can we leave? I have an appointment with Monsieur Chevalier."

 **A/N: Yes, the man who lost his wallet was an elderly asian man ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**As usual, I do not own anything**

XI

"Do good deeds make you a good person?", Chloé asked the counselor sitting opposite her.

"There is certainly more to it.", he replied, "But it makes you feel better, doesn't it?"

"Somewhat.", Chloé answered.

"Are you completely sincere about wanting to be a good person?", Chevalier asked her.

"I try to be.", the blonde said, "But I am often not really sure myself yet. All I want is for my family name to be associated with positive aspects, which won't work if people speak ill of you behind your back."

The counselor nodded in agreement and said: "So you try not to give them a reason to do so."

Chloé validated his assumption, but added: "It#s not easy, though."

"Nobody will expect someone as young as you to initially know what is the right thing to do.", Chevalier assured her.

"I simply want to be able to take care of myself for now.", Chloé said, "I'm sick of being a helpless damsel in distress. ...Maybe I should start martial arts."

"Knowing how to defend yourself has very positive effects on both your body and mind.", the counselor told her, "If you truly are interested, you could attend the Krav Maga course my son is holding."

Chloé was a bit surprised. Even though Chevalier appeared as a person beyond his thirties, she wouldn't have thought him to already have a son old enough to hold martial arts courses.

"Actually,", he continued, "he is at your school's gym right at this moment. Why don't you go there and ask him if you can join the course?"

"Why not.", Chloé replied, "Don't have anything else to do, anyways."

She was just hoping not to run into any of her classmates. But the chance of that happening would be low on a late Friday afternoon.

Marinette truly was lucky. Not only had Chevalier agreed to help getting Chloé to the little event the class had planned, but he also happened to have a son who regularly frequented the gym of her school. It wouldn't be too difficult to lure her to the classroom once she was there. She took one last look at her classmates, who were just about to finish their preparations. She found herself faced by Adrien, who was just looking up from the photo collage he had been putting together. It had been a good thing His mother had always taken pictures whenever Chloé (almost always accompanied by Sabrina) had come over to play when they were kids. Those were sure to bring back some happy memories that would otherwise have been forgotten.

"Thank you so much for organizing this Marinette.", he smiled at her.

That wonderful smile, as warm as the sun on a summer's day, made her blush. She stammered: "I-it was really, uh, nothing really."

It had been no problem for Chloé to get into the school's gym unnoticed. A handful of people were just leaving accompanied by someone saying "See you back next week." That person could only be who Chloé was looking for. Again, she was a bit surprised. The young man she was looking at was probably not much older than herself, judging from his looks. His jet black hair was cut short, and he was dressed in gray sweatpants and an olive shirt. He was rubbing the sweat off his face with a towel as he noticed Chloé standing at the wall.

"Oh hey there.", he greeted her, "You must be Chloé. Papa notified me you'd be coming over." He approached her and extended his hand. "I'm Jean, nice to meet you."

Chloé shook the hand he had offered her and asked: "So you teach Krav Maga here, right?"

"Sure do.", Jean replied, "It's my first time giving a course, just finished my own training last year. But if what the course members say is legit, I'm doing quite good job. Might just be the fact they like someone who is about their age more than the strict former Israeli sergeant I learned from."

So he really wasn't much older than her. Chloé couldn't help but ask: "Well how old are you?"

"19,", Jean answered, "and just getting started at university. I do not earn much from these courses, but any extra money helps."

Chloé was just about to ask him how much taking part in the course would actually cost when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice.

"Ah Chloé, good thing you're here."

She turned to see Adrien standing in the doorway. What was he doing still inside the school at this time?

"Something just went terribly wrong in the classroom, could you just come up and check?", Adrien pleaded.

Chloé suppressed a low growl. It was possibly that klutz Marinette ruining everything again.

"I better go, we'll continue this later.", she told Jean.

"No problem.", Jean replied and watched her leave.

There had been various sorts of disasters playing out in Chloé's mind. She could have imagined a lot going on in the classroom, but she certainly did not expect being greeted by all her classmates smiling at her.

"Sorry for fooling you like that Chloé.", Adrien apologized to her.

"What is this?", she asked.

It was Marinette#s task to speak up now. "Sabrina was our friend, too.", she said, "And this is how we want to share our memories of her and show that we won't forget about her."

Adrien then guided her to where he usually sat, so he could show her the picture collage. The fact that all of the class cared so deeply was rather touching, and it actually didn't take Chloé very long to relax. About an hour into the whole event, while having a piece of the raspberry mascarpone cake Marinette had brought (so that was reason for asking about Sabrina's favorite sort of cake), the class had been laughing at a few jokes and Chloé just found herself laughing with them.

Adrien had offered her another ride in the limo once everything was done, but Chloé had just called her grandmother to pick her up.

"Thank you for the hospitality.", she told him, "But I guess I should get back to the hotel now."

After Adrien assured her once more that she could always talk to him if she needed to, he hugged her goodbye and had the gorilla take him home.

Just a few minutes later, Chloé was back in her penthouse suite as well and dropped on the sofa. As she let the event of the day pass through her mind once again, her gaze unconsciously wandered to the table the sofa was framing. And there was something on that table, something Chloé was sure she had ever seen before. She picked it up and had a good look at it. It was a hexagonal box made if dark wood, with an oriental red ornament on its top.

"What is that doing here?", she wondered

 **A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're done. Well this fic is, at least. But the story will continue in a seperate fic. Hope to see you back on that one once I start it. Hope you enjoyed this fic, thanks for reading**


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